Expert Speaks on How Major Societal Disruptions Reshape the Way Nigerians Consume News
- A combination of overlapping security, political, and economic crises has left Nigeria grappling with major challenges
- The #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance protests, which swept through major Nigerian cities in the past few years, are now behind citizens; however, their impacts cannot be ignored
- In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, media intellectual Ibrahim Adeyemi spoke about how major societal disruptions are reshaping the way Nigerians consume news
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Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria.
Ikeja, Lagos state - The digital revolution and major societal disruptions have dramatically changed how news is produced, consumed, and shared in Nigeria.
Nigeria has experienced several major societal disruptions rooted in a complex interplay of insecurity, severe economic challenges, and governance issues.
Source: Original
These disruptions often overlap and exacerbate one another, impacting various aspects of life, from food security and education to personal safety and economic stability.
In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, media scholar Ibrahim Adeyemi recalled how Nigeria's #EndSARS protests gained momentum online before youths took to the streets to demand change.
It has been five years since the powerful protest and the Twitter ban that shook the nation. Looking back, Adeyemi highlighted the significance of the protests.
He said:
"The Twitter ban will definitely go down in history as a period where Nigerians collectively had a voice.
"For the first time in a long time, it felt like the people were winning. Young Nigerians who had been tagged “lazy youths” by their president (now-late Muhammadu Buhari) came out organically to challenge the status quo. It was like a reawakening, and for the first time for many young Nigerians, there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel.
"But for the ruling class, the progression of the EndSARS protest was a fire that had to be extinguished. Especially for General Buhari, whose leadership style and background were rooted in strict order and control. The movement had birthed a growing cancer, and in a bid to reassert control, the administration made a move to ban Twitter."
Supporters of the government’s decision insisted that Buhari acted to protect the country and prevent further unrest, noting that other social media platforms were not restricted. Critics, however, argued that Twitter had amplified the #EndSARS movement, and the government’s action was an attempt to suppress the people’s voice.
Adeyemi shared his thoughts:
"You see, the EndSARS protest may not have achieved every goal Nigerians hoped for, but it surely changed the way Nigerians thought and spoke about their rights. They had a voice at the time, but what followed the protest, especially the ban on Twitter, caused a major rift in the way the people viewed the ruling government. To them, the government had not only taken their voice but also given them the middle finger, less than eight months after the EndSARS protest, which still left the people disgruntled and seeking answers.
"Before then, there was an unspoken social agreement: 'We still may not agree with you, but know that we're watching and we will ask questions'. The government’s decision of a ban on their voice tore that apart. To many citizens, it felt more like a punishment for daring to speak up.
"In a way, the ban backfired. Instead of slowing conversations, the ban hardened the public's stance, deepened mistrust in the government, and made citizens seek information on their own terms and by any means possible. Nigerians did not stop talking. Instead, they moved their conversations elsewhere, found their way around the ban, and became even more determined to hold leaders accountable. They showed that the government could restrict a platform, but not the flow of information itself."
Source: Twitter
'Nigerians turn to citizen journalism'
Furthermore, Adeyemi stated that this shift (the growing influence of alternative voices) also changed how people consume news.
His words:
"After the protests and the ban, trust in official communication dropped sharply. Many felt that government agencies and spokespersons were more focused on controlling information than telling the truth. That mistrust spilled over to traditional media too.
"Suddenly, people were not waiting for the 9 p.m. news anymore. Rather, they stepped easily into the roles of citizen journalists and online commentators. Everyone felt closer to the ground, ready to report or capture the news in its raw, unfiltered form."
He noted that the traditional media struggled to keep up, adding that the information ecosystem was "reshaped".
He said:
"Many mainstream outlets were seen as aligning too closely with government narratives. To the public, it looked like they were playing safe and sometimes were even acting as amplifiers for official statements without real scrutiny. That widened the gap and reshaped the information ecosystem."
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Tinubu worried about social media misinformation
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu warned that the rise of social media has turned every citizen into a potential publisher, a development he said poses serious risks to truth, national cohesion, and Nigeria’s democratic values.
President Tinubu urged Nigerian editors to champion responsible reporting and resist the growing tide of misinformation that could destabilise the country.
Source: Legit.ng
